"Hail, Pennsylvania!" is a song written by Edgar M. Dilley (Class of 1897) as a submission to a

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

alumni committee-sponsored contest to write a song to the tune of "

God Save the Tsar! "God Save the Tsar!" () was the national anthem of the Russian Empire. The song was chosen from a competition held in 1833 and was first performed on 18 December 1833. It was composed by violinist Alexei Lvov, with lyrics written by the court poe ...

", the national anthem of

Imperial Russia The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...

, by Alexei Fyodorovich Lvov. Dilley was awarded $25 for creating it.George Nitzsche - Pennsylvania in Song and Music: Origin of Some of the Classics - Franklin Field Illustrated Volume 25: Number 3 October 19th 1940 It served as the

regional anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to shor ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

until 1990 and now serves as the municipal anthem of

Scranton, Pennsylvania Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U ...

History

Dilley was an assistant director with

The University of Pennsylvania Glee Club Founded in 1862, the University of Pennsylvania Glee Club (Penn Glee Club) is one of the oldest continually running glee clubs in the United States and the oldest performing arts group at the University of Pennsylvania. The Club draws its singing ...

. The piece was first performed by his group at its annual concert at the Academy of Music in 1895. For many years, the song was performed at

Franklin Field Franklin Field is a sports stadium in Philadelphia, United States, at the eastern edge of the University of Pennsylvania's campus. It is the home stadium for the Penn Relays, and the University of Pennsylvania's stadium for football, track and fi ...

, when the football team suffered a loss. Today, the song is still performed at University functions and sporting events by

The University of Pennsylvania Band The University of Pennsylvania Band (commonly known as the Penn Band, or its vaudeville-esque performance name The Huge, the Enormous, the Well-Endowed, Undefeated, Ivy-League Champion, University of Pennsylvania Oxymoronic Fighting Quaker Marchin ...

and The University of Pennsylvania Glee Club. Aside from becoming the alma mater of the University of Pennsylvania, the song also serves as the official song of

Lackawanna County Lackawanna County (; unm, Lèkaohane) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in Northeastern Pennsylvania and had a population of 215,896 as of the 2020 census. Its county seat and largest city is Scranton. The county ...

. Also, until 1990, the song served as the official song for the

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Maryl ...

Lyrics

:Hail! Pennsylvania! :Noble and strong; :To thee with loyal hearts, :We raise our song. :Swelling to Heaven loud, :Our praises ring; :Hail! Pennsylvania, :Of thee we sing! :Majesty as a crown :Rests on thy brow; :Pride, Honor, Glory, Love, :Before thee bow. :Ne'er can thy spirit die, :Thy walls decay; :Hail! Pennsylvania, :For thee we pray! :Hail! Pennsylvania! :Guide of our youth; :Lead thou thy children on :To light and truth; :Thee, when death summons us, :Others shall praise, :Hail! Pennsylvania, :Thro' endless days!Songs of the University of Pennsylvania: Brought under one cover by William Otto Miller '04. Fourth edition revised by the Musical Club and published by the Houston Club of the University of Pennsylvania. The Press of the University of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: 1923.

References

External links

Hear the song, as performed by The University of Pennsylvania Band

University of Pennsylvania Archives

The Practical Pennsylvanian
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University of Pennsylvania American college songs Alma mater songs Music of Pennsylvania 1897 songs Songs about Pennsylvania

History

Lyrics

References

Further reading

External links